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Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas ( DVD-ROM ) Review
User Submitted Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas ( DVD-ROM ) Reviews
Date: 2008-08-25
Probably The Best Game Ever Made
Lots of reviews before this and for the console versions too. However I think it fair to say that GTA: San Andreas is the best PC game I have ever played. Within the GTA series it is better than both Vice City (which now has a few issues running on modern hardware) and its console successor GTA4, which really had a hard act to follow.
The scale and scope of the game is immense, combining elements of FPS, RPG, driving, strategy, puzzle solving and a huge virtual sandbox to explore. It's also very much a rite de passage as you control the main character Carl "CJ" Johnson on a journey which starts with him left penniless after arriving in Los Santos to a triumphant denouement. This is not a game you will play through in a few evenings - in addition to something like 100 main story missions, there are numerous side tasks to attempt. Although these are optional, a fair number contribute towards the elusive 100% completion achievement, while others help in developing skills or utilities that come in handy later on. (Note, although I've played through SA three times now the best I've managed so far is around 88% completion). One slight niggle is that a few of these side games only become available quite late on, by which time you have been going solid for a couple of months and just want to see the end game. And like many other games that combine the campaign with free play once you reach the end, the desire to go back and finish up the odds and ends tends to diminish.
The difficulty level varies - there are a couple of missions where you can very nearly get stuck. Often it is just a case of taking a different approach or perhaps going into the side missions and levelling up a required skill (e.g. driving ability). The very first mission can catch you out if not prepared, whereas some missions later on are relative no brainers. Of course, once you've played a few times, read the FAQ's, studied the guide and maps things do get easier. The missions are quite linear and always play out the same way and there are no sidesteps or alternative paths to victory - you must pass all the main story missions to see the end game.
As stated in other reviews, the "gangsta", "rappa" culture can be a bit off-putting but once the game hooks you it falls into the context of the overall story. It's role play, after all. Parents be warned - even without the infamous "Hot Coffee" mod, the 18 rating on this title means what it says. The swearing, violence and adult references are relentless throughout the game. Even if you avoid un-necessary slaughter, just to finish the story you will have killed several hundred people including police/FBI officers, soldiers and ordinary citizens in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Although SA struggled a bit on lower end PC's when first released, three years on the average PC eats it for breakfast. The beauty and depth of the game can really be appreciated on a machine with Dual Core CPU and 8800GT graphics card. There are a few little glitches - when it rains all other sounds are masked - but I have never encountered any serious crashes or issues with the titles.
In crafting GTA: San Andreas, developers Rockstar created something close to a work of genius for the gaming hobby. Even their own studio couldn't better it with the next instalment in the series, the rather mundane GTA4 It has a few issues, has courted considerable controversy but it's not so much a game as an immersive experience.
Buy it, play it and love it!
Date: 2008-08-07
DO NOT BUY
Grand Theft Auto San Andreas is one of my favorite games, but this page clearly states they are selling the 1st edition(the mod-able one), but I received the 2nd edition.
Date: 2008-06-18
just like PS2
I bought this for my laptop so I can take the game with me on the road, since I am a GTA addict.
With the money to be able to play in hotel rooms and airplanes!
Date: 2007-12-30
Uninspired
Quite frankly, this game sucks. The graphics are ugly, the controls horrible, the characters unsympathetic, the cities labyrinthine, the story repetitive, the language foul and the workmanship lacking. It's obviously a cashcow and as such an epitome of mediocrity. The only good thing is the huge size of the landscape. The food is bad, but such big portions...
This game is just not user-friendly. Just about every irritating mistake that could have been made was made, especially in the controls. This game is *slow*, all the controls are constantly lagging. That's what got to me the most in the end. And my machine is capable enough, it runs Doom 3 and F.E.A.R. without problems.
A pity, because this game could have been so much better. Rockstar, please, don't use braindead programmers and uninspired designers next time.
Date: 2007-09-06
Big Boys
This is the version you should be playing,Hot Coffe,it was made for the Big Boys,i just love it
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